Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a household machine for washing or drying laundry, having a drawer disposed in the top region and being intended for accommodating detergents or condensate, and having a three-dimensional grip plate that is fastened on the front of the drawer and contains a grip hollow on its front side, it being possible to reach, through the grip hollow, a catch that is disposed in the rear cavity of the grip plate, is retained in the latching position by a spring and in the locked position grips, by way of a catch edge, behind a latching edge on the housing.
Such household machines are common and widely available. Attempts have been made to fit locking devices on such machines to avoid unauthorized individuals using the machines at all or, in the case of washing machines, using the drawer of a detergent-dispensing device. The main group of individuals targeted is constituted, in particular, by children, for which reason such devices are generally also referred to as childproof locks.
All previous proposals for such childproof locks, however, are unsatisfactory in some way. For example, German Published, Non-Prosecuted Patent Application DE 31 01 745 A1 discloses a childproof lock of the generic type for a detergent drawer that is unsatisfactory because, on one hand, it is too easy to open and, on the other hand, it is too complicated to deactivate altogether.